A trio of Saskatchewan born post-secondary education students are recipients of the Pat Fletcher Foundation annual scholarships announced Monday by the organization.

The Pat Fletcher Foundation, whose purpose is to provide financial assistance to deserving young Canadian students on their journey to obtaining a university degree, announced the awarding of 23 new scholarships from across Canada.

We are so proud of this year’s recipients. They demonstrated leadership and character in their submissions, and we wish them the best of luck as they head back to university and college this fall,” said Ted Fletcher, Founder and Chairman of Mint Green in a news release. “These are outstanding young people – hard-working, well-rounded leaders in their communities. They share our desire of “making a difference” and we are proud to have
played a small role in helping to shape their future.”

The Saskatchewan recipients are Tenesha Pompu of Carrot River, Landon Sosnowski of Prince Albert, and Shellbrook product Hunter Tremblay. Pompu and Sosnowski are both University of Saskatchewan students, Tremblay studies at the University of Victoria.

Since establishing the Foundation in 1985, The Pat Fletcher Foundation has awarded 565 scholarships, for a total of $800,000 to young Canadian golfers – giving them the opportunity to develop and reach their highest potential.
The scholarship recipients include students from every province in Canada who go on to pursue their education at top schools both in Canada and the U.S.

“While my father was always very passionate about the sport of golf, he was equally passionate about the importance of education. He took a genuine interest in working with junior golfers to help them reach their full potential, both on and off the golf course,” Fletcher added.

The Foundation’s website, www.patfletcher.com includes the current list of recipients.

Blaine Fagnou never set out to be a golf course superintendent, now he’s a Saskatchewan Golf Hall of Fame inductee.

The longtime Elk Ridge Golf Resort employee sat down with Golf Saskatchewan after the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Canada Tour Elk Ridge Open concluded on Saturday.

Fagnou discussed his start, his time at Elk Ridge and his induction into the Hall of Fame alongside his mentor Bruce Klaassen.

Many non-profit organizations use golf tournaments as fundraisers allowing groups to provide services and support to their clients they support in their fields and Spinal Cord Injury Saskatchewan Inc. (SCI) is no different.

SCI couldn’t host a tournament in 202 due to COVID-19 but on Aug. 7 the organization was able to host a tournament at Mark’s Nine Golf Course near Prince Albert. Executive Director Launel Scott said the day turned out fantastically.

“It was really good because obviously the golfers were anxious to do it,” Scott said. “We had more teams than we could accommodate actually at the end of it. We really lucked out again with a great day, the rain was looming, but it turned out great. It was a perfect day.”

The event raised approximately $25,000 that will go towards supporting SCI’s 1,100 clients province wide in areas such as rehabilitation, education and employment, awareness, and inclusion, as well as systems navigation. Scott added that the money raised will assist in the organization expanding services to not so accessible areas of the province.

“One of the priorities that we’ve had and it’s shown up in our strategic plan is to increase our engagement and connections to people who are Indigenous living with physical disabilities, particularly in the north. We are looking to commit new funds and the funds from the tournament to allow us to reach out more. We’ve been doing things virtually, but we also have the goal to set up a physical satellite office as well,” Scott explained.

One of the people that participated in the golf tournament was Karthik Babu Menon, SCI’s client service coordinator. Babu Menon had never golfed before due to living with his disability but that didn’t stop him thanks to one of three SoloRider golf carts Golf Saskatchewan stocks across the province.

“You know what, I thought when I was holding the club in my hands it was really satisfying. For a person who has never played golf in my entire life it was really satisfying,” he said.

SoloRider carts are made to travel anywhere on a golf course while allowing people living with disabilities to play. The SCI group used the cart that is housed at Saskatoon’s Wildwood Golf Course. Babu Menon said getting a chance to play the game was special.

“Within that one day I have created a niche in my mind that golfing is a good activity to get around, get to know people, and socialize. After being stuck at home for one and a half years getting onto the golf course and socializing was great fun,” he beamed.

Golf Saskatchewan has a new SoloRider at the North Battleford Golf and Country Club. One was also housed at the Royal Regina Golf Club but has since been returned to the provincial organization with plans in place as to where the cart can be utilized at a more southern course. For now, Babu Menon said he encourages others to give the cart and sport a try.

“When I talk to our clients, I always tell them if there is something you want to do to just to get away from boredom golfing is a good learning experience. I don’t have the particular words, it’s just a great overall learning experience when you play for the first time,” he added.

SCI is now planning for their third annual tournament in 2022.

Yorkton’s Kade Johnson is continuing to record strong finishes on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada circuit including a top-five placing Saturday at the inaugural Elk Ridge Open.

Playing in the second last group, alongside Saskatchewanian Brennan Rumancik, Johnson started round three strong with a birdie but carded a six and seven on the next two holes. He found his groove with three birdies before a bogey on nine. Johnson’s scorecard was all red on the back with four birdies and and no bogeys. He was two-under 68 when the smoke cleared and a tie for fifth.

He spoke to Golf Saskatchewan after the round.

Rumancik shot a nine-over 79 in round three, the Swift Current golfer tied for 32nd at 217. Air Ronge product Jerry Christiansen tied for 36th at 219 (74, 71, 74).

Saskatchewan amateurs Josh Nagy (Saskatoon) and Tayden Wallin (Humboldt) both shot 220 over the 54-hole event, they tied for 40th.

Lloydminster’s Clint Schiller was 43rd, he carded rounds of 76, 71, and 74.

After making lots of noise, and memories with his 68 in round one, Alex Swinnerton made the cut and finished his first professional event in a tie for 53rd with a 226.

The complete results can be found here.

Swift Current’s Brennan Rumancik tied for the low round of the day and sits in a tie for third-place thanks to a five-under 65 in Friday’s round two of the Elk Ridge Open.

Rumancik vaulted 37 positions up the leaderboard after an opening round 73 on Wednesday. He said there was no pressure, he simply played his game on a tough Elk Ridge course.

“It was just a great day of golf,” he said to Golf Saskatchewan after his round. I hit my driver really good, it’s definitely the best that I’ve hit it. I’ve been really working on a little bit more of a cut shot off the tee, a little bit more of fade. I’m traditionally a draw ball striker, but I went with the cut shot to keep it in play and it worked out really good today.”

Rumancik hit every fairway allowing himself to attack the pins. He said his day on greens was just as good.

“Everything pretty much went down today, I hit a lot of good iron shots. I didn’t get it as close as I would have liked a lot of times, but it was windy, it was tough out there,” he said.

Rumancik sits six shots behind the leader, Raoul Menard who also shot 65 on Friday. He will play in the second last group alongside fellow Saskatchewanian Kade Johnson of Yorkton.

Johnson followed his opening round of 71 with 68 in round two, he’s tied for sixth.

Their group tees off at 10:26 a.m. on Saturday. The trophy presentation will be held in the afternoon.

The top amateur in the tournament is Tayden Wallin of Humboldt. The 2017 Saskatchewan junior champion is at plus-five, he’s tied for 30th.

The complete results can be seen here.

You can hear more from Rumancik below as he spoke with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork Friday evening.

Saskatoon’s Jackson Wingert is currently assisting in friend Alex Swinnerton’s success at the Elk Ridge Open as his caddy but in late August it was the Willows Golf and Country Club junior enjoying an experience on the course.

Wingert took part in the 12^th Junior Skills Challenge National Event at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ontario. Junior players from across Canada converged on the course to compete in putting, chipping, and driving competitions. Wingert said the event consisted of a two-player fun event on the first day, that unfortunately was rained out. On the day of the competition, he feels it went well leading him to a second-place finish in the boys 15 – 18 age group.

“It was pretty good, it could have been a lot better,” Wingert said. “I did well on the chipping, the driver wasn’t very good, and I lipped out every putt.”

He added that despite the skills challenge not being an actual round of golf the experience was similar in that every shot counts in a competition.

“You have to make sure every shot is good. We only got three shots in each event so you can’t make any mistakes, just like a tournament,” he explained.

Wingert has been a part of the Western Canada Summer Games team and enjoyed other golf experiences with potentially many more to come. He said taking in the event and playing a round at Osprey Valley was something special.

“It was really cool, just to go down there. All three of their courses down there, unbelievable how nice it is,” Wingert said.

He was able to qualify for the national event through a regional competition held in 2019 at Wildwood Golf Course in Saskatoon. Golf Saskatchewan is hosting a challenge on Saturday, Sept. 18 at The Willows. Wingert said the experience is positive and juniors of all skill levels are welcome.

“It’s just a really good, fun experience. It doesn’t matter if you win, it’s just different than actually playing in a round, I really enjoyed the local one and especially the one in Toronto,” he said.

As part of the agenda in Toronto, Team Canada coach Derek Ingram worked with the competitors for an hour on the driving range.

Professional golf may be in Alex Swinnerton’s future but his debut in a professional event will be hard to top.

The Saskatoon golfer, who calls Waskesiu home in the summer started shaky in round one of the Elk Ridge Open on Thursday, but the 17-year-old found his groove on the back nine and finished with a sparkling two-under, 68. He sits in a four-way tie for sixth, one shot behind a logjam at the top of the leaderboard at three-under par.

“Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations going into this, it’s my first pro event,” he said after the round. “Now that I have the first round out of the way, shooting two under, I can play a little conservative but attack pins when I can tomorrow.”

Swinnerton was one of just 14 players to shoot under par in round one. There are 114 players in the field. He is the low amateur after 18 holes and the top Saskatchewan player.

Friday’s projected cut line is plus-four. Swinnerton is well below that mark. Going into the Open and playing all three rounds was his goal however that’s not on his mind as of yet.

“I’m not really looking at the cut right now, I’m just going to play my own game. We will see where the day goes, make birdies when I can and keep it conservative,” Swinnerton added.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada took notice of Swinnerton’s round posting on their social media channels (above). Swinnerton said possibly seeing his name on the Golf Channel leaderboard is quite exciting.

“I didn’t even think about that, that’s pretty cool. Definitely for my name to be on tv, that would be a pretty cool feeling,” he concluded.

After round one, eight Saskatchewan players are at or under the cut line. The complete first round results and tee times for Friday’s second round can be found here.

The Canadian Mid-Amateur and Senior Women’s Championship wrapped up last week in Bromont, Quebec and a pair of Saskatchewan players are reminiscing about the experience.

Rosetown’s Sue Skinner has participated in several national championships throughout her amateur career. She said going into the Saskatchewan Senior Championship her game needed some tweaking.

“Pivoting from playing my home course that has struggled with drought conditions to playing provincials on a prime course with great green conditions at The Legends, but I managed to adapt with extra practice time. Luckily for me the week before nationals I played at the Ladies Lobstick in Waskesiu, that provided me an opportunity to play a wonderful course with great green conditions. That was a perfect warmup and confidence booster before nationals,” Skinner told Golf Saskatchewan.

Skinner shot rounds of 83, 86, and 85 at the championship played at Golf Château Bromont, she placed in a tie for 21^st at 35-over par. Admittedly Skinner wants a few shots back from the 54-hole tournament but she did achieve her goal of a top-30 finish.

“The course set-up, length, and wet courses conditions the first couple days made for some tough conditions,” she said. “My first two rounds were pretty steady, not to say that I wouldn’t have liked to get some of those shots back, but I was pleased with my scores overall after day two. My final day I did struggle on the front nine with a couple blow up holes and penalty troubles but managed to finish strong, so I was delighted to turn the round around.”

Skinner added the overall experience was positive including the safety of the players as COVID-19 measures continue to be in place.

“In a word, it was amazing,” she said of the week. “The course was in a beautiful tourist area with ski hills, hiking and bike trails, a beautiful golf course on the foot of a mountain. The vistas were absolutely breathtaking. It’s always enjoyable to meet golfers from all over the country.”

You can hear more from Skinner below who chatted with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork after returning to Saskatchewan.

Regina golfer Shannon Scott echoed many of Skinner’s sentiments.

New to the provincial competition circuit Scott was ecstatic to make the trek to the Montreal area. She said despite keeping COVID-19 guidelines intact the event went off without a hitch.

“Even with COVID people were friendly and outgoing,” Scott said. “I think because everyone has been couped up for so long everyone wanted to talk and socialize. Even though there were no events to socialize everyone was very friendly, the service was awesome there.”

Making her national appearance debut, Scott admitted the course conditions were difficult, but she played hard and made the most of the opportunity.

“I felt sorry for them because they had three days of rain before we got there so the course was wet, we had very little roll on our drives. That made a couple of the long par fours hard to get on in two. It seemed to dry up and the people that used carts were able to drive on the course, so everything was timely and worked out well for everyone I thought,” Scott added.

The Royal Regina Golf Club member ended up in 54^th place at 57-over. Scott said she’s pleased with the result and has a new-found admiration for the game and hopes to work on her skills and return to nationals. An 11-handicap, she wanted to provide some comfort to other players on the fence of chasing opportunities like a Canadian Championship appearance.

“When I went to nationals it wasn’t just the low handicappers, there was others like me, around that 12. I was kind of in the middle of the pack. Just a few strokes difference I’d be up 20 places. If the opportunity is there, it doesn’t matter where your handicap is. It’s hanging out with a bunch of girls doing what you love,” she concluded.

You can hear more from Scott below, she also chatted with Golf Saskatchewan’s Clark Stork after returning to Saskatchewan.

For the first time since 2016, a PGA Canada Tour event is in Saskatchewan.

The Elk Ridge Open tees off for the first round Thursday at Elk Ridge Resort. On Monday the opening ceremony was held with several guests including tournament ambassador, Graham DeLaet.

The two-time Saskatchewan amateur champion (2005, 2006) officially opened the event with a ceremonial tee shot alongside Premier Scott Moe. DeLaet said seeing the Tour back in his home province is fantastic.

“It’s great to see this kind of turn out for something like this,” he said. “The Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada is where I got my start back in 2006 when I turned pro, obviously it has a special place in my heart. So does golf in Saskatchewan.”

Over 30 players from Saskatchewan will compete in the 54-hole event including newly designated professionals and amateur winners, Kade Johnson and Ty Campbell. DeLaet said the sport is strong in Saskatchewan and events like the Elk Ridge Open could be the break for some players.

“You see all these young Saskatchewan men teeing it up now trying to chase the dream. This is where it all starts,” he added.

Also, in the 114-player field is former Saskatchewan resident and 2011 amateur champion Troy Bulmer (above). He resides Vernon, British Columbia now but has become a regular on the Mackenzie Tour. Bulmer said playing an event back in his home province is special.

“It’s nice to be back home,” he said. I couldn’t be happier to be back, to see so many familiar faces in and around the area. It’s nice to be back at the (Prince Albert) National Park here at Elk Ridge. It’s just so nice to be back home and feel that Saskatchewan hospitality.”

The practice rounds are underway Wednesday. The first groups tees off at 7:30 a.m. for round one, a champion will be crowned on Saturday afternoon.

For all the details of the event click here.

Ada Dillon’s early start in golf isn’t any different than others, tagalong with mom and dad, start hitting shots, enjoying the game, and sticking with it.

This started for the 12-year-old Onion Lake resident at three years old at St. Walburg. Dillon said she started swinging her dad’s clubs but quickly realized she would be left-handed and needed her own. This year Dillon swung her lefty clubs at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Mini Tour National Championship in Tsawwassen, British Columbia. She said there are a couple factors aiding her enjoyment of the game.

“I really like meeting new people, competing, and being outdoors,” she said about her love of the sport.

Dillon decided to expand her experiences on the course and compete on the MJT Mini Tour for the first time this season back in June. She said playing in a tournament was a great learning experience but a positive one.

“It was fun, very hard, but I had lots of fun and met so many new people,” she beamed.

Overall, she played in five tournaments over the summer including the national championship where she competed in the 11-12 girls’ division, she shot 199 over 36 holes. Aside from being her first time on an airplane, the trip was a highlight of the summer.

“It was very, very, fun,” she said. “The golf course was very, very, beautiful too.”

Dillon added that seeing the ocean and the mountains were also favourite memories from her time in B.C.

She said that golf will continue for her, and she hopes to compete at the junior provincials in the future. She also has a message for kids in small communities when it comes to golf, or other sports and activities.

“Don’t be afraid to try new things,” she concluded.